Chips and Progress
by TenTooInTheTARDIS
Summary: TenToo and Rose get chips for the first time in Pete's World.


For hanluvr

"You know what this tongue has never tasted, Rose?" the Doctor asked suddenly, his hand on her hip, eyes intense.

"No, what?" Rose asked, blushing. The Doctor licked his lips, fingers tightening on her hip and eyes getting even darker.

"Chips," he said, serious expression not wavering. Rose held his gaze for a second before breaking into uproarious laughter. At the Doctor's offended look, she laughed even harder.

"Okay, love, I'm sure we can round up some chips," Rose said once she'd finally calmed down. The Doctor was grumbling the whole way down the stairs and to the living room about Rose's little outburst.

"It's just rude, that's all," he muttered, causing Jackie to roll her eyes at him.

"What's happened now?" she asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"Your daughter had terrible manners, that's what," he said with a pout. Jackie turned to Rose whose cheeks were bright red, avoiding eye contact with her mother. Rose didn't exactly want to explain what she'd _thought_ the Doctor was about to suggest.

"I'm not going to ask," Jackie said, sitting down on the couch and turning on the telly.

"We're going for chips, d'you need anything while we're out?" Rose asked. Jackie said that she didn't think she did and they headed out the door.

"There's a chippy not too far from here, we can walk if you want," she said, taking his hand and lacing their fingers together.

"Sounds good, a little fresh air will do these new lungs some wonders, I think," he said, swinging their hands between them. They'd been in Pete's world for 13 days now. Most of their days had been spent talking, relearning each other, learning what was new in this relationship, learning what was new in the Doctor. It had all been very informative and scholastic. And completely devoid of physical interaction. Well, not _completely._ They hugged and held hands, of course. They'd been doing that since the day they met. What the Doctor missed was the kissing. God, he loved kissing Rose Tyler so much. He missed it terribly. It was addictive. 900 years old and Rose Tyler was the best thing he'd ever tasted.

"Doctor? You still with me?" Rose asked, tugging on his hand. He shook his head hard, bringing his attention back to the object of all his affections.

"Mmm? Yes, sorry. Got a bit distracted there," he said sheepishly. Rose grinned fondly at him.

"What were ya thinkin' about?" she asked teasingly. He cleared his throat.

"Ah- nothing," he said, looking away from her.

"Oh, c'mon! You can tell me," she said. She bit her bottom lip, gazing up at him. He groaned, knowing he couldn't resist that face.

He squeaked something under his breath. Rose leaned up closer to him.

"Sorry, I didn't catch that," she said. He muttered, still too quiet for her to hear.

"C'mon Doctor, we don't all have super-charged hearing," she teased.

"_I said I was thinking about kissing you,_" he exclaimed, cheeks flaming red. Rose stopped in her tracks, causing him to jerk to a stop. They were right in front of the chippy now. The Doctor pulled her gently along with him, guiding her in to the shop. She was silent as he ordered their chips. They sat down in a little table in the corner that the Doctor called mental dibs for eternity on.

"I know you're not ready for that. You're still figuring out what's going on. This is an impossible situation, so of course you need time to adjust. We both do. Just because I feel like we could do that adjusting whilst kissing…" he trailed off, eyes glazed over as he thought of Rose's lips again. He snapped back to attention, locking eyes with her again.

"I've got no problem waiting for you to be ready, Rose Tyler. I've only got this one life and I intend to spend it with you. I do _not_ intend to mess it up. You take all the time you need. I don't want you to feel pressured into doing something because you think I'll leave if you don't. That is never going to happen."

Rose stared at him, eyes shining. She bit her bottom lip, unable to come up with the words this situation deserved.

"I love you," he whispered, looking down at his chips. He licked his lips, hoping he hadn't said too much. He didn't want to scare her off, after all. His head snapped up when he heard her chair scrape back. He stood up quickly, eyes panicked.

"Rose- what? I'm sorry I didn't mean to- please don't leave-" She cut him off, wrapping her arms around his neck and dragging his lips down to hers. She kissed him hard, pouring all the pent-up emotions from their years spent apart and the near two weeks spent tiptoeing around each other here. Her tongue dove in his mouth, taking control easily. The Doctor was still a bit stunned, though he kissed her back instinctively. After a moment, he took control, grabbing her hips and pulling her to him.

"Excuse me," they heard from behind the Doctor's back. They sprung apart, chests heaving, cheeks flushed, lips swollen. The woman behind the Doctor gave them a glare from her seat. They apologized sheepishly, sitting back down at their table.

"So… We're good to do that from now on, right? I mean, I don't want to lean in for a kiss and end up with a slap to the face or-" Rose cut him off, knowing he was working his way up to full-on ramble.

"We are absolutely good to do that from now on," she said, grinning at him. They tucked in to their chips, comfortable silence settling between them.

"Oh my god," the Doctor groaned.

"Chips taste different now?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. He nodded his head.

"I've still got mostly Time Lord taste buds, but there's a little difference that makes the flavours more intense," he moaned.

Rose was caught between amusement and lust as she listened to him. He continued to moan through their meal, driving Rose absolutely mad. As soon as he was finished, she jumped up and dragged him to the door. She had a lot of kissing to make up for.


End file.
